Raven and Red
by kaoruhimura89
Summary: I'm not supposed to exist. I'm an abomination, a mistake, the product of a rare and unnatural union between a human and immortal. It is believed I am the only Half Blood in existence, but I've just learned of another like me: Kaoru
1. Chapter 1

Prologue is set as Kenshin's train of thought. Ken and Kao's POV will be alternating in chapters.

M for violence, gore, language, and sexual content. Bwah.

Rurouni Kenshin and its characters are not mine. Nobuhiro Watsuki is the mastermind behind RK. Bow to him.

**Raven and Red**

**By Izzy**

Prologue:

_Ten Years Earlier…_

My teeth tear through soft flesh and my jaws work in desperate pulls as I suck and shudder and moan against the small weight in my arms. My mouth floods with heavy nectar, strengthening and revitalizing every inch of me, every void that craves and demands to be fed and filled and I'm rapt and delirious and drunk off it. I've reached an almost incorporeal state, detached from everything else except this high and this healing, and as I continue to suck and drink and feed, a horrible wave of recognition finally hits me.

Haiku Baiku. White Plum.

The scent grabs hold of me, breaks through the barriers of my consciousness and I remember and I realize who it is I'm holding, who I'm hurting, and with great effort I finally pull away but it's too late.

I cry as I look down at her, repeating her name over and over again, asking for forgiveness that I don't deserve as my tears fall on her and mix with the blood trickling from her mouth. There is a hint of a smile in that lovely mouth, and even as the end draws nearer and nearer and her breathing becomes shallower, she still looks as calm and beautiful as ever and I cry harder.

But I can save her.

I try to save her, to give back what I just took but she refuses and I beg "please, my love, please drink," but still she refuses and instead takes the dagger she carries everywhere and hands it to me, nodding. For the first time in years my hand shakes as I hold a blade and she looks at me acceptingly and nods again, smiling and says "It's alright.":

I know she's right, and I dread what I must do.

The blade comes down.

**Chapter One in Battousai's POV: Intrusion**

_Present Day…_

The boy cried out as I dug a wooden stake into his shoulder, purposely missing his heart from inches above. He looked at me through slit eyes that burned a feral silver.

"Are you ready to talk?" I asked, pinning him to wall from his throat. He had been resistant to my questioning; therefore I had chosen another method to pry answers out of him, a method that is not at all pleasant to either human or vampire. The boy was a newly Turned, an infant in vampire years, and I doubted he ever had experienced this amount of pain before, both in this lifetime and in the previous one. He would soon give in.

His lips curled back from his teeth as he spat out the next words."Screw you half breed."

I reached for another stake from underneath my jacket, where I kept a variety of specialized weaponry to kill the preternatural, specifically vampires.

His expression changed instantly, eyes expanding as I bared another stake. "Wait!"

"Yes?"

He shut his eyes, pained at having to betray his own sect. For a youngling, he was very loyal to his sect, which I had learned was called Katana, led by a tall-haired, sword-collecting enthusiast called Chou. But even the most loyal eventually succumb when tortured.

"Yes?" I asked again.

He opened his eyes and tried to chomp at my neck. I elbowed him on a side of his face, and dug my fingers further into his shoulder bones. He screamed what seemed to be every known profanity in the Japanese language.

I brought my gaze close to meet his, pronouncing every word sharply as I spoke to him. "With or without your help, I will find your coven and dispatch of them as they need be. Spare yourself any more suffering and indignation and give me even the slightest of clues. Or else I will have to find another one of your brothers and follow the same protocol, but much worse. My mood worsens as time ticks by."

To emphasize my point, I peeled back several of the protective layers reigning my chi and let it slide down from my arm to the young vampire's frame. This of course would grab unwanted attention from other creatures of the night, but I was running out of time.

The young vamp gasped and shivered beneath my grip, his mouth stuck in a silent scream.

"In-incredible. You're more powerful than my master."

His shoulders slumped, the red light draining in his eyes. He remained silent for several minutes, and then slowly began to speak, his tone resigned. "There's a warehouse district just passing downtown. You may be able to get more information there from the others. I otherwise don't know where to find him."

I looked at the boy for several more seconds. He couldn't be more than 17. Were it not for me about to end his life, he would've remained 17 for as long as he could survive. Foolish young boy. Trading his humanity for a prolonged but amoral existence. I was doing him a favor.

"Is there anything else you would like to add?"

He shook his head. "Just get it over with."

I unsheathed my blade, and let it slide quickly across his neck.

Going against several road rules and regulation, I got to a neighboring district in only 20 minutes, leaving my motor-bike there so as not to draw attention with its roar. I traveled the rest on foot.

Upon arriving, I immediately began searching for vampiric wavelengths, seeking out for any hint or vestige of their demonic ki that would lead me to the one particular warehouse.

As I progressed, the traces got stronger, until finally it was like hitting a wall of power.

The warehouse itself was squat and in fairly good condition, the façade a contemporary design with a minimum amount of high-up windows. It included a double-door entrance and a roll-up garage door. My guess was that it had once been utilized to store merchandise for whatever business or corporation that had gone bankrupt, and was found and gutted by some bloodsucking enterpriser as a way to make bank off fellow sect members.

There were two guards standing at the doors, one small and peroxide-blond and the other tan and athletically built, standing shoulder-straight as if they mattered. Neither one of them was of impressive power or build, good enough only to keep out non-sect members or inquisitive mundane officials.

I approached them casually. They saw me, standing on alert, their hand on the hilt of their guns, which were likely to have silver bullets. Silver is the preternatural creature's bane. No other chemical will harm them upon entering their system , save for this particular element.

The first guard spoke to me, not seeming to recognize me. My red hair, a trademark of mine, looks brown in shaded areas.

My sword was responding with a subtle, unearthly pulse from where it rested strapped onto my weaponry belt, eager for the taste of more blood.

"Hey you. Where do you think- "

His head was off his shoulders before he even knew it. His body wizened into a flaky corpse, collapsing into a sooty pile of dust

"Shit." The other vampire, the one with the spiky, peroxide-blond hair aimed his gun at me, his face and posture tense and uneasy. I grabbed his wrist before he had a chance to pull the trigger, hearing his bones crunch beneath my grip, and thrust the blade into his heart. He disintegrated and vanished, leaving his clothes and dust as the only remnants of his existence.

With a quick flick of my wrist the blood cleaned off from the blade. Battousai pulsed ominously with the anticipation for more blood, its eagerness shooting through my bones. Sword in hand I stalked towards the doors.

The music rose from a muffled pounding to a loud bang of noise when I opened the doors, the beat pounding inside my chest like a second pulse.

Rogue vampires and humans alike were on the dance floor, pumping to fast-beat rhythms, the lights playing across their bodies like ecstatic butterflies. To the side were couches where clusters of vampires huddled around the humans, sniffing them with their prying noses, tasting their skin with their tongue. Some were already digging in. I could smell the tang of blood in the air, mingling with the stench of vampires.

The music booth was on the further side of the floor where the DJ stood between giant speakers, setting the morbid atmosphere with his tunes.

I estimated the amount of leeches, around 350. A fair amount. Most of them were newly Turned and had unimpressive ki, and I doubted many of them were armed with weapons that did not grow out of their gums and fingers. This would be easy.

A few of the partiers looked towards my direction, their gazes pausing to where I held my sword, freezing in their pose. I smiled, not kindly, at them.

"Your leader. Where is he?" I asked, already knowing they would not make this any easier for me than it would be.

Someone yelled,"Battousai!" and a wave of startled and confused gasps, yells, hisses erupted.

I threw several shuraken at some of their throats to shut them up, the star-shaped weapons digging in their throats. Unsheathing my sword from its case, I awaited the onslaught.

They came at me spontaneously, armed with teeth and claws. Some had knives out, others guns, which I avidly disdain. Bullets, most likely silver-plated, rained upon me, whizzing by millimeters of my body as I dodged and ran, hitting a few other fellow vampires in their path. They were doing some of the work for me.

I leapt at one of the gun-toting leeches and cut him across the torso, splitting him into two halves. I killed the rest of the vampires with guns when their bullets ran out.

A few vampires tried to escape, but I blocked their path, letting only the surviving, screaming humans pass as I removed vampire limbs and heads with my blade. Parts that were not heads fell and hit the floor in squishy, wet noises, trying desperately to find their owners, crawling and leaving trails of blood like gruesome slugs.

A group of vampires tried to ambush me in a circle. I did a 180, splitting their throats as I spun from several inches in the air, blade extended.

Parts of my jacket, which was made of the strongest leather, had been shredded, parts of my skin cut. None of them, thankfully, had managed to cut my face. The young vampires weren't as weak as I thought they would be, but they were inexperienced and untrained.

A loud growl erupted from the direction of the main entrance, and we all momentarily took a chance to look at the direction from where it came.

Three dark shapes stood by the doorway.

The first was a small female wearing a tight-fitted black suit that covered all of her body. She had hair like rope- long, braided and strong. The other, which I immediately recognized as the source of the growl was a shapeshifter, in his half-wolf, half-man form, his silhouette monstrous and towering over the two. In between the two was another female dressed like the first, this one with gently sloping curves and dark hair that spilled from a high ponytail. For the briefest second I thought I saw her eyes spark blue.

Next Chapter: Kaoru's viewpoint, more blood and more ass-kicking.


	2. Chapter 2

Fear not my minions, I have returned, and with a gift. Rejoice!

I like this chapter more than the last one. Kaoru's voice is easier to get down, especially since I consider her and I much alike.

Not a Blade/RK crossover, though I can see why the initial chapter seemed like it. RK and Blade already have similarities to start with, and those are explained at the end of this chapter for those of you who give a -.

More blood and gore. Bwah.

Please R&R.

Rurouni Kenshin belongs to whatever or whomever it belongs to. Not me though.

Chapter 2 in Kaoru's POV: Bringer of Death

And there he was. Battousai in the flesh, looking every bit the demon described in the rumors, only somehow less formidable than they made him out to be, probably because he couldn't have been more than four foot five, and also probably because he wasn't at the moment dismembering swaths of ravenous vampires, though evidently he had been before we arrived.

His eyes, bright like polished amber, were staring directly at us, questioning.

"What the hell?" A vampire asked, oscillating his silver gaze from Battousai to the three of us. His skin, like his comrades and unlike Battousai's, was lucid and cold, as if moonlight were shining from beneath their hide. Battousai's on the other hand, had a subtle golden hue.

"Who the hell are these people?" asked someone else, this one with red eyes, "Are they with you?"

The vampires were all, I noted, clearly puzzled and upset to see us. I didn't blame them. They were dealing with the Battousai of legend himself, and now here we were, a hairy  
menacing werewolf and two readily armed vampire hunters.

Battousai turned his head, directing his gaze to the vampire who had spoken last, and made a swift, nearly imperceptible movement with his hand, responding "No."

The vampire blinked, staring incredulously at Battousai as black blood welled from a slit on his throat. His head slipped from the stub of his neck, falling in a thud. His body then followed, and with that, almost as if they had been ceased and suspended by strings that were suddenly jerked, the vampires snapped into motion and went for Battousai, their screams echoing off the walls. He was of course prepared for them. He moved so fast that what I mostly saw were streaks of silver appearing from every direction, winks of amber here and there, swallowed up by swarming, pale bodies.

There were vampires rushing at us too, claws like tiny daggers prepared to cut and shred. Their cries were high and primal sounds, stabbing my ears, hitting the walls in echoing waves.

A vampire woman with fishnets and breasts the size of pot roasts came at me screeching. I jabbed my bokken- sharpened to a point on one end – in her chest and pulled out the bokken to strike at another vampire who had tried to sneak from behind me. Their skin shriveled and dried into a flaky corpse once the wood struck the heart. From the corner of my eyes I saw Sanosuke striking at several vampires while at the same time swatting others with his furry, brown tail.

"Is that all you leeches got?" He said, squarely pounding a vampire in the jaw. He wore a sadistic grin, framed by blood that clung on the fur on his muzzle, his teeth glistening with blood. He was enjoying himself immensely, like a dog at a dog park.

Something whizzed past me, inches from my cheek, and a groan erupted from behind. I turned to see a vampire with a kunai knife embedded in a man's throat, gagging with his hands clutching at his throat. I grabbed the knife by its protruding hilt and stuck it in his heart, blood spurting out like a punctured spray can of red paint.

"Thanks!" I yelled it at the ninja girl who'd just saved my skin.

Said ninja was currently clashing against an androgynous vampire. Misao moved fast, faster than just about most professional track racers, and she held the strength of a large man in that compact frame of hers. Being a Gifted, her strength and agility are above the average of a regular human. No one is sure of their origins, but they've been around as long as vampires, dating back to the time of the pyramids. Nature's way of helping puny mortals out.

A vampire man planted himself in front of me, licking his lips and grinning at me lecherously. "Hey there, baby," he said, and I couldn't help but show my disgust in the form of a grimace, "you sure do look tasty." He had brass knuckles with spikes on each hand, the spikes glinting like the fangs in his mouth.

I crouched, pointing the sharp end of the bokken at an angle towards him, and read the energy level flowing from him. Not much, but I sense malice in his ki, an eagerness to kill and take from me.

"A fighter. That's sexy." He said, bending his knees and bringing his fists in front of his face, pouncing around pre-boxing match style.

He swung at me first, moving fast. I supposed he was able to survive this long because of his speed and not his fighting skills. Like a certain scruffy wolf currently mutilating dozens of the undead, he was all about offense and no defense. He cut right, aiming at my face. I stepped out of the way and spun, slamming the length of the bokken against his back. He hissed in irritation and fell on his hands, springing back onto his feet and charged at me again. I brought the bokken up to my face, halting the spikes from slamming into my face. From where my bokken connected with the dip between to spikes, he glided down, using his free hand to get at me. I ducked down and my steel-toe boot connected with his ankle, jarring his stance as the heavy shoe tore ligament and bone. He stammered back and I kicked him again, this time on the chest, hurtling him to the ground. Immediately, I pounced on him, giving him little time to react as my bokken came down on his chest. He turned into something resembling a mummy, the way all vampires look like before they fall into dust.

A heavy weight slammed onto my back, mounting me as strong legs and arms wrapped around me in a strong, firm hold. It was constructing, like a boa on its prey. Whatever was on me held an echo of the vampire I had just killed in its ki, and I realized with jolting alarm what it was. His mate.

With instinct I reacted and brought my forearm to cover my neck before she could dig her teeth into it. Better the wrist then the neck. Victims succumb faster to vampires bites when bitten on the neck. I screamed as sharp teeth dug into my flesh and sucked at my veins, feeling the blood rush out of me in painful, forced streams as I clawed at her forearms.

"Jou-chan!" I heard Sano from somewhere not too far away, felt his body heat rising and rolling like heat waves hitting pavement. I knew he was trying get to me, felt him drawing nearer, fending through forms that instead off emitting waves of heat like he did, they emitted coldness, like the foggy chill that rolls off icebergs. I could see Misao close by, struggling with three combatant vampires that were putting up a challenging fight, her eyes frantic and concerned as she kept looking my way. A vampire struck at her throat, its nails bunched into one focal point like a drill's head, scraping part of her shoulder as she moved to one side. I was concerned for her, but I was also concerned for me. There was a part of me, the vulnerable, human part of me that was just a bit afraid, a bit vulnerable and helpless. But there was also a darker, instinctual side of me that was building up, heightening my awareness of things and whirring in my mind. Remembering that I had a silver dagger hidden on the back pocket of my jeans, I reached for it with my free hand, barely able to produce it do to her hold on that arm, and dug it into her thigh. She hissed into me but didn't let go, in fact her grip only tightened, and her sucking became sharper. I jabbed it into her again, driving it into anything, anywhere, just as long as she would let me go…

A barbaric growl sounded near, a blur of brown flashed by, and then the weight on me was gone. There was a horrible shriek, followed with sounds like snapping dry twigs and shredding paper. Sano better not have been eating her.

(New readers: ignore this. Old readers: This is more or less the point where I made the most significant changes.)

The creeping darkness that had started to infuse me vanished, and I collapsed onto the floor.

It burned from where she had bitten me, like fire that started and crept down to my arm. My body felt slightly weak and heavy. I cradled my wrist tenderly, already feeling it starting to repair from inside out. Through an out-of-focus lens, I saw that both Misao and Sano had moved in closer to me form a barrier between me and the few remaining vampires. Somewhere outside the space Sano and Misao had formed around me, I heard the distinct clash of metal on metal.

Having destroyed what seemed the last of the vampires, Misao dropped to her knees and inspected my arm. The wound had healed into two, silver-pink puncture marks etched onto my forearm. "Damn bloodsucker. That thing was feeding off you like a rabid animal," Misao lifted her eyes to me, and frowned, "How you feeling?"

"A little dizzy and grossed out, but I'll live."

"Jou-chan," I gasped in surprise as Sano grabbed me from under my armpits and lifted me to stand. He started forward, pulling me from the arm."We need to leave, now."

I tried pulling away from him, but he had a very strong grip. "Sano, what are you-"

"Kuso! It's not safe here."

"But Battousai-"

"Is busy."

A pained, inhuman yell broke through, followed by the sound of metal clanging against concrete. I turned to witness Battousai impale his sword through a male's chest then back him up against the wall. Something thin and wiry snaked around the vampire's neck at the motion of Battousai's quick wrist, restraining him. The vampire was amputated on one arm from the elbow down. The other part of his limb was secured nicely on Battousai's grip.

Sano tugged at me, intending to drag me out if he had to. I stiffened and pulled away from his grip.

"Jou-chan," he said, speaking between his teeth in a way that was both disconcertingly possessive and protective "He's dangerous. We gotta leave."

I gaped at him, feeling my cheeks flush with irritation. "We've been searching for weeks. We can't just back up now."

His eyes narrowed. "It's not safe."

"Sano," I said, taking on the commanding voice I rarely ever used on him, "let me go."

Sano flinched as if I had slapped him.

An amused, masculine chuckle rumbled from some feet away.

"So that human girl is your master," said a voice as dark and velvety as a bear's fur. My skin rose in goose flesh. How did Battousai do that with just his voice?

Sanosuke narrowed his eyes. I rarely ever saw him that tense. Usually, he was eager to combat. "I protect her, yeah."

Battousai dragged the blade further towards the vampire's heart as the unfortunate bastard howled wretchedly. I felt slightly ill. Battousai was _torturing_ him. I almost felt sorry for the vamp. Almost. Despite having seen numerous cases of dismemberment, disembowelment, and unpleasant demise, I am not immune to the sight of any of it, which is why I prefer eliminating vampires as swiftly as possible to spare me the gory details.

"Doesn't seem like she needs much protecting, or wishes to have it. At least, not yours."

As a response to Battousai's words, Sano's nostrils flared into gigantean proportions. Also, he gave Battousai's back a glare that was at once murderous and at once wary, as if he really would like to rip out the assassin's spine with his talons but was reasonable enough not to do so.

Battousai spoke with is back to us, in a sign of either arrogance or a complete lack of concern for us, or both.

"I do find it curious, however, how and why it is a Gifted would associate herself with a preternatural being."

So he hadn't yet realized what I was. My mind went over the different ways I could reveal my origin without losing my head. Another part of my mind acknowledged that his rear was toned and looked great in tight-fitting dark-wash jeans, a thought I quickly admonished myself for and squelched down on.

"In any case, it would best for you to take the advice of your hound and leave. I've no business with you."

I swallowed in air to retort when I heard another speak.

"Chou will dice you up in ways unimaginable."

"Looking forward to see him try."

"He won't lose against a half-breed."

"That theory can be easily tested, though your assistance will be required."

The vampire made a derisive chortle. "My assistance? You're crazy."

"I will allow you to leave and rally a message to Chou. Bring him to me, and you may have your arm back."

The vampire looked as surprised as I felt.

"That's quite the arrogance you have there, Battousai. Perhaps worse than Chou's."

"You know as well as I do that Chou has been eager for a match with me. You will be doing him a favor. In fact, he may even award you for it."

"And if I refuse?"

"You lack that much confidence in your master?"

"I'm not a traitor."

"Would you rather I torturously kill you or take a chance with your master and tell him that the man he so eagerly wishes to fight challenges him to a fight?"

The vamp's eyes narrowed, assessing Battousai.

"If you knew he wanted to fight you, why hadn't you challenged him before?"

"I learned of his interest while, just a few moments ago, I was dismembering one of your fellow cult members with a particularly big mouth."

Sanosuke tugged on my arm, his voice a whisper. "Jou-chan. He's a sadistic bastard. We can't talk to someone like him."

"Will you either leave or shut that mutt of yours, young huntress. He's distracting."

Sano clenched his fist, grating his teeth. I would've found it amusing in another less-dire scenario.

"Even Battousai finds Sano annoying," said Misao.

Battousai continued. "So it's a deal, then? You bring Chou to me, and if he allows you to live, I will return to you your arm."

The vampire smirked humorlessly. "Both options sound unappealing. Either way, I'm probably a dead man. But, sure."

"I'll be waiting here once the sun comes down. You'd be wise in not trying to flee." I felt a lick of Battousai's ki flare at his warning, disappearing as soon as it came. I shivered.

Battousai withdrew the blade from the man's chest, cleaned it off with a flick of his wrist, and sheathed it. "Go."

The vampire stood and despite being injured, dashed out the door with a speed only a preternatural being possessed.

Once he left, everyone fell into silence. Beside me, I could hear Sano's heart pulse several notches faster than its normally rapid beating. Misao's body was tense, the smell of her sweat rolling off her in waves. Battousai remained unperturbed, his back still to us.

I swallowed the dryness in my throat and opened my mouth to speak. "Battousai?"

He turned so abruptly we all flinched. Without a word, he paced towards us, a blue spark flaring from his between his fingers. I braced myself for a violent confrontation that we were likely to lose, and then I realized he wasn't walking towards us, he was walking passed us. I cast glances at Sano and Misao, who returned them also with knowing glances, and the three of us, along with Battousai, barreled towards the door.

The blue spark flew from between his fingers and roared into flames as we exited the warehouse, the heat wafting into our backs like a summer draft. The flames were not yet visible from within the high-pane windows, but I could smell the foul stench of burning vampire blood working like fuel to the fire.

Beside me, Sano snorted with revulsion. His head was inclined the furthest away and he held a brown, clawed finger up to his nostrils.

"Oui! I can never can used to the stench of burning vampires."

"No kidding, let's get going." Misao started eastward, and paused.

Battousai was assessing us like a chemist assessing a mixture in a beaker. His golden eyes were now subdued to a pale honey, his expression a remote curiosity.

Sano placed himself in front of me in a protective stance.

Battousai's mouth quirked ever so slightly. "You are faithful to this human girl."

"Yeah? What's it to you?"

"It's rare for any preternatural creature to associate themselves with a human lest it's for food, and even rarer still for them to be faithful to those in the Lux Occulta."

"We're renegades. We just decided to keep the sexy outfits," said Misao. "They're pretty convenient."

Battousai's brow quirked. "Renegades? Yes, that makes sense. Teaming up with someone with who you share the same enemy would be an advantageous move." He said this without a trace of emotion in his tone. He shook his shoulders. "No matter; this is none of my concern." He turned his back to us, pacing away.

I stared after his back, open-mouthed. It took me several seconds for my words to catch up to my mouth. "Wait! You're just going to leave? Just like that?"

He continued his pace, which was somewhere between being slow for a vampire and fast for a human. He did this intentionally.

Before Sano or Misao could hold me back, I ran after him, careful not to run full-speed.

"Battousai! If I can just have a word-"

"I've no business with you."

"Please, we need your help."

"I've no time for your problems."

I couldn't help it; my temper flared. I sprinted forward and planted myself right in front of his path. He paused, his eyes, now a dark amethyst, were wide. For the first time since I'd seen him, he looked surprised.

"How did you-"

"If you just give me a few minutes, I'll explain."

"Jou-chan!" Sano's voice rang close, and then he was standing right beside me, followed by Misao, who looked noticeably anxious.

Battousai's hand clutched the hilt of his sword. His eyes narrowed. Amber swirled in the irises. "You're not human. I knew there was something more to your ki than the regular Gifted of the Lux Occulta." His hand did not release his hold on the hilt. "You've a minute to speak."

I opened my mouth, and paused. For weeks we had exhaustively searched for Battousai, looking into every hint of where he may be, even to the point where Sano resorted to bullying answers out of the less reputable sources. I had even recited the lines I'd speak to him when and if we ever found him, and now I didn't know what to say. How do you go about revealing your identity to one of the most powerful vampires in existence?

"I'm like you."

"What?" He said sharply.

My pulse was a hammer against my skull. "You're not the only Halfling alive."

I dropped down my barriers for the first time since arriving, allowing my ki to pour over his. Years of training and meditation taught me to suppress my vampire nature, and in doing so also veiling much of my ki. I could feel his own responding to mine,

Battousai's eyes flashed to a near-gold, his mouth parting as I felt the tendrils of his ki explore mine. A range of emotions played across his face as he did so: disbelief, apprehension, fascination… fury.

A breeze, then tightness around my neck.

His hand was wrapped around it.


	3. Chapter 3

**IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR OLD READERS: **If you haven't read this prior to the last update in 3/16/2012, ignore this. If you are someone who has read this before this recent update, read this. I made some significant changes in the second chapter, so you will have to go back to the point where Kaoru is attacked by the female vampire, and if you don't really remember how the last chapter goes, I recommend rereading the whole thing since it has been a while. Also, Kaoru can no longer see into the future. I changed that aspect of her since it would complicate things.

Anyway, I apologize for the looong delay! You can mentally kick me if you wish. Please enjoy and don't forget to review. It serves as encouragement

Btw when used in a different context, "were" is a shortened version of "werewolf"

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin

**Chapter 3 in Kenshin's POV: Stirring**

Blue fire flickered through her eyes, as it had when I first sighted her, this time intensified by the severity of her situation. Her situation was that I currently had my hand wrapped around her beautiful, fragile throat, which was viable to be crushed at any moment did I ever feel the necessity to. Against my palm, her pulse beat rapidly like a trapped butterfly.

"I'll crush her neck if you make a further move."

The wolf-boy and the human girl paused in their tracks. The wolf-boy growled through his teeth. Upon first encountering them, I had found the were's loyalty to a human girl perplexing. Humans, even Gifted ones, rarely have any amount of influence over weres. The only other creatures they take orders from are, like in the legends, vampires. This subordination is usually due to fear rather than loyalty. Now that I knew that his reaction to her was out of werewolves' natural propulsion to obey and protect its master, things made more sense. This particular were's devotion, however, went beyond that of fear or dutiful loyalty to its master. In his eyes, in his manner of addressing and speaking to her, I read affection.

"Let's get one thing straight. I don't care if you're the famed hitokiri of legend. If you hurt her, I'll rip you to shreds."

"And I'll help," the girl with the long braid said, cracking her knuckles. Up this close, she looked younger than I had initially thought, yet she carried herself with a ferocity and confidence rarely found in those older than her.

"It's alright guys, he's not hurting me," she said, her gaze apprehensive, "Though this is unnecessarily uncouth."

Despite her bravado, I read uncertainty in her ki. And I read more than just uncertainty. Her ki was a contradicting force, fluctuant and abnormal, like darkness and light dancing alongside each other… Raveling, then separating, then raveling again. Threads of darkness swirled in her ki. They were subtle yet fierce, volatile slivers bound to snap and unleash themselves if strummed the wrong way. Among the sheets of light, they looked like billowing streaks of electric blue fire, much like her eyes.

The rest of her gave hints of something other than human, too. Her skin was lustrous, a subtle silver gleam where the light of the lamppost hit her. The green of her veins peered through skin, where an odd mix of rich and bitter fired through. Her scent, like that of her ki, was an incongruity. Her blood carried the warm and salty scent of a human, an earthy aroma no manmade fragrance could every fruitfully imitate, and while at once laced with the sharp, copper-like smell of a vampire. On its own, vampire essence is revolting. Hers, however, was a wild and intoxicating blend.

A shiver ran down my body, shooting straight to my lions. Saliva spurted up my mouth, and I felt the sore itch of my canines begin to descend…

A flare of recognition in her eyes, sensing my desire. Her body shook as if an icy torrent had gone by. I released my grip on her and pushed her towards the werewolf. He caught her hastily by the arms and encircled an arm across her back protectively, glaring at me from over her head.

"You have not properly trained the other half of you," I said, my voice not betraying the fumble my focus had undergone in reaction to her blood. "It's dangerous to be involved in slaying with ki as erratic and fragile as yours. Not to mention foolish."

"Sounds like some bull," the wolf-boy barked. "She's been training how to control her vampire nature for some time. She's a pro at it."

"Her ki says otherwise." I looked at her, "What you've been doing is suppressing your nature when you should be learning to balance it."

"And you gathered that just by reading her ki?" The younger girl with the braid said, sounding dubious.

"Yes."

"Excuse me," the Halfling said, gathering her poise, "but I was trained by one of the greatest warriors the Lux Occulta ever had, Kamiya. He happened to be my father."

I didn't try to keep from showing my surprise. "I had heard a rumor that Kamiya and a vampire had conceived a child, but refused to believe it. There was never any evidence of the conception."

"We were well hidden." She didn't make to elaborate further, and I didn't expect her to. A dawning expression undertook her features. "Did you know my father? I mean, you sounded as if you were familiar with him."

"We worked on a mission once, back when the Lux Occulta allowed for such alliances."

"He never told me about such an occasion, or the fact that there was another like me." She seemed to be weighing between taking me words as truth or lie, her expression unconvinced. I could speculate that, as a child, she had enquired her father whether there were others like her, Halflings that were of demon and human blood, and his response had been to deny her the full truth.

"I'm sure he had his reasons. Primarily, to keep you from seeking someone like me. Or more specifically, me. You should hold up to his intent and leave me be. I've priorities to uphold and that does not include aiding a team of rogues."

Though within me blazed a curious want to know more of her, of her history and of her powers and of all that was part of her, there was indeed a tight agenda I had to fulfill, and any pause of distraction therefore was an inconvenience and potential adversity.

"Hey now!" the other female bellowed to my retreating figure, "We haven't even told you why we want your help! Hey!"

"Kuso! I knew it. A waste of precious time."

A spike in the Halfling's ki brushed against my back, not so much of anger than that of apprehension, "Shishio has my brother."

That they knew of Shishio was nothing remarkable. Any half-decent hunter, rogue or not, would know of that demon. What kept my foot from taking a further step was the certainty in which she spoke of her brother's condition, as if being in the maws of a shark did not render him already dead.

I did not look over to her, keeping my back to them. "If that is the case, then there is no hope he is still alive."

"He is alive. He has communicated with me."

I nodded, suppressing a derisive laugh. "There is no way in hell that Shishio would allow that or that your brother could even-"

"He's a telepath."

A palpable silence. This was no revelation to the others, of that I was certain. The silence was in anticipation of what my reaction would be. A telepath. The percentage of those that were genuinely telepathic compared to those who claimed they were was miniscule, about 1.3% . And so you happened to be a vampire or another preternatural being, then your power was even greater.

"Your brother, is he also a Halfling?"

"No, but he does have Gifted blood, like our father."

"And his mother?"

A momentary pause, as if reluctant when answering "Human."

She wasn't lying, but I sensed she wasn't disclosing the entire truth, either. "I see…"

"He will not tell us where he is, for fear of my life, but if he knew you'd be helping then-"

"You speak as if my assistance was of certainty."

"I was speaking theoretically."

"And how would he know if I were to, theoretically speaking, assist you?

"He can read my thoughts as well. Only fragments of it, as is how I see the images he sends me, but enough to let him know or think that we will have help from a skilled hitokiri."

"You're setting tentative hopes on a young telepath who may or may not reveal Shishio's whereabouts. Sounds like a waste of time."

"I've faith in my brother, and on the rest of the team who is diligently working tracking down Shishio. We have plentiful resources. We are not the only rogues trying to bring him down. Please, my brother needs me, just as the rest of Nippon needs you. Please," at this, she bowed the humblest of bows, speaking through tears, "I will forever be indebted to you."

"Yes, please Battousai!" The other girl followed her lead, her forehead almost touching the ground. The were watched agitatedly.

"Get up." My voice didn't come out as harsh as one may expect, doing my best to not to show how uneasy being bowed to made me. "Very well, I will listen to what you have to say, but we will have to postpone for another day. The day after the next, at nine in the morning. Here. You are to meet me alone." I addressed this to Kaoru, who by now was standing with dried tears on her cheeks.

"Absolutely not." The werewolf responded in place of her.

"Sano…" the Halfling said, reprimanding the werewolf. "That is okay with me."

"Why can't we tag along? We're a team here!" The girl with the braid bellowed.

"For various reasons I am not inclined to explain"

"Kuso! I am her guardian. There's no way I'm risking her safety by letting her go alone with you," said the wolf-boy, puffing his chest.

"Sano…"

I almost smirked. "You sound more like a possessive boyfriend than faithful guardian."

The Halfling's face heated with blood. The wolf-boy was just as flustered.

"That- That's ridiculous! Jou-chan is like… she's a good friend and as her guardian I'm not gonna let some murderous pretty-boy tell me what to do just because he says so."

"Sano! Be quiet!"

The girl feared that I would decapitate him. A rather tempting deed, though normally I wouldn't have even given this insufferable type the time of day, but tonight was a night full of exceptions, it seemed.

As she had commanded him, the wolf halted his words, but his mouth itself was only partially sealed, the spittle on his canines shining where the moon hit.

"Alright. I will go alone. I don't know your reasons as to why, exactly, but I can imagine someone as tactful as you has good reasons."

"Jou-chan, you don't have to-"

"I do."

"If it is her safety you fear, dog," At the mention of the term, he noticeably bristled, "I assure you that no harm will come to her while she is in my company."

"Kuso. Fine. But if any harm does come to here you'll have to answer to me."

I grunted. "Don't count on it."

I turned to the Halfling, addressing her alone. "Don't be late."

She nodded, the sweat on her temple and neck carried by a draft to brush my nose. I blocked out the scent, breathing instead through my mouth.

My back was to them when I heard her say, "Goodnight, Battousai."

The wind in my face felt good, even if I could hardly feel the coolness itself. It was the force of the wind that soothed me, the way it hit across my face and hair as I sped down the streets of the city. The closer to the outskirts I drew, the less traffic there was, and more liberty I had to drive, although even in heavy traffic do I manage to expertly weave my way around.

The building in where I resided reared up, inconspicuous in that it was like every other building surrounding it. Post-modern industrial façade with the efficient framework and row upon row of hollowed-out spaces that are to be called apartments. An absolutely ordinary construct, as close I can get to keeping a low profile.

I parked my bike in the basement-level indoor garage, took the elevators to the third floor, and halted at the front of my doorstep. The protective barriers which I had put up on my apartment had been breached. The traces of ki that had no doubt been intentionally left to detect, were at once recognizable, and having discerned the owner of such awesome power, I let out a disgruntled sigh and let myself in.

Hiko Seijuro, the cockiest person to have ever tread earth, sat leisurely on my couch reading a book, not bothering to look up even as he spoke to me.

"Welcome home."

I stared, dumbfounded, unsure of which words to articulate to my former master.

"Sensei…"

"Idiot apprentice." He eyed me critically, "You look hideous."

He, on the other hand, looked immaculate, with absolutely no marks of two- or rather, three- centuries' worth of corrosion marring his aberrantly handsome visage. Of course they wouldn't. Hiko has seen two centuries pass and one begin, and during those centuries had the signs of ageing been of minimal effect. I know this because he used to boast about it while I was still under his wing. My master was not a vampire. He was a special kind of Gifted. His gift was being able to absorb the energy of every living thing in this world, including vampires, who weren't dead creatures as according to popular folklore.

"And you let a vamp ruin your jacket. As careless and stupid as ever," he added.

I had never seen a tear or wound inflicted on Hiko Seijuro, except once when he got excessively drunk and broke a glass in his fist, or when his muscles would flex so that they'd accidentally rip the seam off a gradually shrinking shirt.

At the moment, Hiko was wearing a plain beige T-shirt and black tight-fitting slacks which so far had managed to survive his brawny physique. His ostentatious white trench coat that he never parted with no matter what the conditions was draped over a side of the couch. His dress shoes were placed neatly in the entrance, as black, elegant, and shiny as his impeccable set of hair. He also sported an enviously natural tan, which served to enhance his debonair good-looks

Having passed the initial shock and regained my sense of propriety, I bowed to him in acknowledgment as my superior. "Sensei, I am honored you came."

With a grace incongruous to his herculean figure, Hiko stood up and walked towards me. He bore an unnervingly stoic expression. I'd have preferred his characteristic sardonic smile over his withering scrutiny.

"Spare me the formalities and drop the pretenses. You have succeeded in my reconsidering to aid you in your objective. Now, we'll see if you can fully convince me to do so."

Out of habit, I bowed again, this time less humbly, "Whatever it is you ask of me, I will do it, and with the upmost reverence."

"You can start by taking a shower. You reek of dead vampire," he said, uncorking the jug of sake before taking an audible swig from it. Upon mere observation any hapless bystander may peg Hiko's drinking habit as a sign of alcoholism, but they couldn't be further from the truth. Hiko Seijuro was not a man who drank out of necessity to quell his anxieties, nor did he drink to enliven his spirits. He didn't drink for recreation either. He, in fact, would have to drink a considerable amount of sake that would put others in a coma to actually feel any of its soporific effects. Hiko simply delighted in the taste of sake, and the soothing effect it had on him the way tea does on others, having little to do with the body's chemical reactions and more to do with its spiritual potency.

This was not a difficult first task to comply to, and so I dutifully went off to bask in my ablutions.

At full blast, the water pelted my flesh deliciously, washing away the remnants of that deadly battle where I had come across that Halfling girl, Kaoru, and her gang of outcasts.

Remembering her caused me to break out in gooseflesh, despite the warm water showering my skin. Over the artificial fragrance of the shampoo I smelled her heady scent, recounting how she had shivered when she sensed my desire, her ki responsive to my own, awaking something in me which I had not felt in a long while.

I quickly switched off the hot water in favor of the cold water, seeking to diminish the unsolicited arousal that had reacted of its own accord. I forced my mind to wander to graver thoughts, such as dismembering vampires and human victims found rotting in clandestine spaces…

I killed the shower and padded out, finding my master leaning against the wall across the bathroom.

"Something is unsettling you. I felt it when you came in and I feel it now." My master, ever so perceptive, said this with upmost certainty.

"I must change. Excuse me."

"I expect you tell me what it is that has your ki so flustered when you are finished. Should be entertaining."

I slipped into a plain gray T-shirt and a change of black pull-string pants, wishing I had the luxury to collapse onto my bed and allow sleep to enfold me in her tranquilizing embrace. Rarely did this want of actually sleeping in the bed over sleeping against the windowsill overtake me, but I am only half human. I almost begrudged my sensei for having come at this most inopportune of times when what I wanted most was to be by myself and reflect. Except, I knew I should have been glad for this turn of events more apt to be considered fortunate, for my master had changed his mind to reconsider, and although he had no officially declared that'd he teach me the final technique of Hiten Mistserugi, it was just as well secure that he would. My master was not to one to travel far from his humble abode for a mere visit. The only thing that would keep him from teaching me was if I did something exceedingly stupid and displeasing to him.

Hiko was sitting on a cushion at the table, a pot of hot water and an empty tea cup in place opposite to him. There were three choices of tea were laid out in their small containers next to the tea cup, and a tea leaf sifter beside it. I took my spot opposite of Hiko, who sat drinking sake from a cup.

"Thank you, sensei."

"Don't think that this means I am going to do kindly gestures like this frequently."

"I don't expect it of you," I said this void of sarcasm. The choices of flavors were green tea, ginseng, and black tea. I scooped a portion of green tea into the sifter and dipped it into the cup of hot water, allowing it to soak in.

"Now, tell me what has my idiot apprentice so troubled."

Steam rose from the cup, reaching my nostrils. I took a sip, frowned in discontent of the insipid flavor, and allowed the tea to soak in more.

My fingers traced the convex body of the cup, watching the tea gradually turn a darker color. I looked up at my master, who was patiently waiting for me to answer. "I met another Halfling. A female claiming to be the daughter of the late Kamiya."

Sensei paused from taking another sip of sake, setting his cup down with a neutral expression. "Kamiya Kaoru, are you sure?"

"You know of her?"

"Through rumors. I haven't yet confirmed it myself, nor did I soon intend to. The rumor has just recently caught wind, apparently soon after the death of her honorable father."

Even Hiko Seijuro had great respect for the late Kamiya. Some people dubbed him a coward or traitor for running away from both vampires and Lux Occulta alike after it was speculated that he was to have a Halfling baby. He disappeared without a trace. For a while, he was claimed to have been spotted at several locations in China and Taiwan, but then shortly after he disappeared altogether.

As if sensing my marvel as to why he hadn't mentioned this before, he added, "There was no point in getting you worked about something that was only speculation. You may be the most feared warrior of these last few decades since I've been away, but inside you really are a sensitive boy. It would be careless if me to mention something as delicate as this without having first looked into it myself. In fact, I am still doubtful that who you saw was Kamiya Kaoru."

"I felt her ki. It was unlike a vampire or human's. She had the essence of both these species, but it was a kind all of its own. Kamiya Kaory is legit, I am certain of it."

Sensei and I stared at each other without blinking, sensing him reading me. Finally, he said, "So you are," and took another sip of his sake. After a brief intermission of silence where we just sat ponderously drinking our ambrosia, he spoke up again. "Well, aren't you going to tell me more of her? You come home looking like an adolescent boy who had just found the mom who had walked out on him years ago, and that is all you have to say of the matter?"

Agitation strung my nerves, but I steadied myself so as not to not say or do something that would displease my master. "I don't know what to make of her. She is unlike anyone or anything I've encountered. She is even unlike me. Her darker nature is suppressed to the point where it is hardly detectable unless roused by threatening stimuli, or unless you thoroughly examine her ki. Her humanity seems to drown the vampire aspect of her, though that does not mean it is not bound to surface and lash out if provoked. I suspect she has been able to contain it in her for so long because she has not previously been exposed to high levels of danger, not to the point where death was imminent, anyway. Combine that with an adequate amount of training from what is reasonable to assume was her father."

I was reminded of the predicament she had faced with the other vampiress who had aimed to drain her dry of her blood, and of how in that moment I had read a flare of ki in reaction to that threat, but had dismissed it as her Gifted blood working as I had been too busy slaying vampires to read deeper into it.

Hiko went continue to look at me expectantly. "What else?"

"She is young. About eighteen or so. Pretty. Modest. A decent warrior, good in fact, but still an amateur. She needs to learn how to balance her ki rather than suppress it. It is bound to snap at any time, if it hasn't already."

"I can assume she did when her family was attacked."

I nodded, agreeing. Perhaps that was why she was able to escape from being captured or killed like the rest of her family members.

I considered what Hiko had just said about her family being attacked. She hadn't disclosed those details, nor had I asked her about them, but it was not hard to guess that there had been an attack set out against her family.

"What else?"

"We are to meet later to discuss a possible alliance."

He halted in the process of bringing the sake to his lips, his dark eyes full of surprise. "What on earth for?"

"Her brother was abducted by Shishio, who he has acquired as valuable spoil of war and has kept alive once he found out that he is, as she claims him to be, a telepath."

Hiko raised an eyebrow, "I hadn't heard of that one. Then again, it is not too farfetched a possibility. His mother, is after all, rumored to have been a sorceress."

"A sorceress?"

"Yes, a sorceress. Or is that also simply a tale?"

"She said his mother was a human, but I could tell she was not speaking the full truth." A sorceress, human yet otherworldly, mortal yet powerful.

"If Kamiya's second wife was indeed a sorceress, her concealment barriers would have been the main reason for them going undetected for so long. She either died or ran off, and if she did run off, I doubt that the Kamiya girl would have been as adamant in keeping her identity safe. No, I suspect it has more to do with concealing her brother's latent powers than the protection of her stepmother. Being the son of a sorceress and Gifted, the boy probably has incalculable power. I'd be damned if Shishio doesn't know of this already, and is fixing to exploit that power in his devious ploy."

I had been brewing a similar theory as my master articulated his, my curiosity in the Kamiya girl's case growing each time small details of her indirect involvement with Shishio were unearthed.

"In any case, why she didn't tell you this probably has to do with a lack of trust in you, which is somewhat astute of her but also quite stupid, for having already disclosed tidbits of her personal information, such as being the Halfling daughter of Kamiya, was already giving away too much information in the first place. For all she knew, you might not have been the famed vigilante of humanity but instead the other rumored aspect of you that revels in drinking the blood of virginal maidens." He guffawed loudly after the last part.

"Anyway," I said, a vein in my temple throbbing, "I doubt I would have agreed to consider an alliance with her had she not mentioned her brother's abduction and correlation to Shishio. I have too much on my plate to help every unfortunate who has been victimized by vampires."

"I highly doubt that is you only motive. I know you too well to buy that, my foolish apprentice."

Without having to elaborate, I knew what he meant. For all my years of existing I had never known another like me, a species of both human and vampire blood. Most of those years I had spent longing to find another Halfling who had survived the first few months of conception, but never did. They usually died either at birth or in the womb, and if they did survive they were usually abandoned and left to die either by natural causes or external forces, such as hungry werewolves and other preternatural creatures. No Halfling was like the other, with biological deficiencies of various kinds usually plaguing the child. I was until recently, the only known Halfling in the last century to have made it to adult age. My predecessors had all been eventually killed off years before even my grandparents were a zygote.

There was no point in denying the truth. "You are correct in that those are not my only motives, but I truly cannot afford to idle in personal interests when too many innocent lives are at stake, no matter how much I wish to know more of her."

Hiko grunted. "Assuming the role of martyr, as always. When will you learn that you must first take care of yourself before taking care of the rest of the world? Bah, I waste my time in reminding you of this."

I sighed, a very long and felt sigh. "I am sorry I have let you down, sensei. It had never been my intention."

"Even though I think you are still stupid and wasting breath your breath in apologizing, I nonetheless have decided that I will teach you the final technique of Hiten Mitserugi. However, if I later discover that you are unfit to take on this great responsibility, I will discontinue our training as soon as I so see it appropriate to."

"Hai. Arigatou, sensei."

"Don't thank me just yet. Now, if you don't mind, I am going to take your bed. I travelled by foot."

"Not at all. I don't sleep in it anyway."

"I didn't imagine you did."

As I tired as I was, I could not bring myself to sleep. My eyes open or closed, I would see her face, every smooth angle and plane of her features, the luminosity of her skin. I remembered the way in which she disposed the vampires with amateur but proficient skill, how she handled the bokken as if it were a natural extension of her body, the contours of her taught, gentle muscles responding to her motions. The memory of the scent of her blood that ran hot in her veins resurfaced, and again I felt my canines itch with desire. My stomach grumbled. I had been so absorbed in all the other events that had occurred that night that I had actually forgotten to feed. I got up, throwing on the bloodied jacket over the comfort clothes which I was stuck to wear, and headed out the door. Dinner would be served at one of the Yakuza mansions not too far off.

So sorry for the three year haitus! I will try to update more often now that I have a better idea of where I'm going with this story. In the meantime, check out some of my other stories. Thanks so much for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**I PROMISE FROM HERE ON IN I WILL UPDATE SOONER! **Gah. I feel bad. I'll quite being so anal and be less of a procrastinator. This chapter less action-y than the previous chapters, but I shall soon get to more badassery in the next. Please R&R. Thanks for your patience!

The characters of this chapter all belong to Watsuki-sama.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Conditions**

**{Kaoru's POV}**

"You look kinda crappy." Sanosuke had paused from rummaging the kitchen cabinet to observe my current state of appearance. He was dressed in his martial arts inspired outfit- white jacket, white pants, white foot and waist bands, and a red band that wrapped around his forehead. He always looked ready to brawl.

I jumped and perched myself atop the kitchen counter next to the sink, resting my head against the pantry. "Couldn't sleep again. And you don't look so hot yourself."

Since I first encountered Battousai two nights before, I had been plagued by thoughts of him. Of his deadly skill. Of his cold demeanor. Of his smoldering golden eyes. Mostly, of whether or not he'd become our ally. Without his help, we did not have much of a chance in defeating Shishio and getting Yahiko back safely.

Sanosuke's eye twitched. He went back to venturing for something to eat. "If you're so worried, don't see him."

"I'm worried that he'll say no, not that he'll hurt me."

He retrieved a box of crackers and shut the cabinet door with more force than necessary. His hand dove in the box, reappearing with a fistful of cheese crackers that he stuffed into his mouth. He spoke through a mouthful of artificially flavored carbohydrates, "We can do this without him."

"Not against all the Juppengatana, " I countered.

"We won't know unless we try," he said as he rummaged for another edible after having abandoned the box of crackers.

"Exactly. I won't know if Battousai will help us unless I try getting him on our side."

Sanosuke turned around, apparently giving up on his search. He ran his fingers through the overgrown lawn that was his hair. "Shit. Fine, but if he makes unreasonable demands, such as sucking your blood or bowing to him naked, send him straight to hell."

Heat ran up my face. Not for the first time, the memory of Battousai's physical response to my blood floated up. The reaction had at once terrified and excited me. The primal shudder that had run through his body had elicited in me a similar reaction, something I did not want to admit to myself at first but could not help acknowledging it.

"Idiot, why would he ask me to bow down naked?"

Sanosuke shrugged, though it seemed more forced than casual. "He is a man, after all."

For as long as I knew Sanosuke, which was only a few months, sexuality was not a topic that he and I had ever discussed. "Is that something you'd ask for?"

Sanosuke tilted his head, considering with his eyes skyward. "If it was you, no. If it was Takei Emi, then hell yes."

I jumped off the counter, scowling at him. "Pig."

"Wolf, actually."

I waved him off with a hand. "I'm going to shower, _Rooster-head_. Be useful and make some coffee."

"We're out," he called out.

"Tea. Whatever," I replied, entering the bathroom.

"Got it, boss," said Sanosuke, his words muffling through the cracks of the bathroom door.

I hated it when he called me that. We both were aware that technically, I was Sanosuke's master, and he my Guardian, despite us being of similar strength. As my Guardian, he felt a strong sense of responsibility to protect me, and although I deeply appreciated it, I preferred that he didn't. He called me boss only to annoy me, but truth is, if I really wanted to, I could command him with the inherent dominion vampires have over their werewolf servants or Guardians. I valued Sanosuke too much to do that. Above all, he was my dear friend.

When I came out of the shower, a cup of tea was set out on the table, along with jam spread on toast.

"Wasn't sure if you wanted black or ginseng, so I got you black."

"If I have both, it's because I like both." I said, grinning as I sat down on the kitchen table across Sanosuke, who had already, pardon the pun, wolfed down most of the toast and spread. "Thank you."

"You look nice," he said out of nowhere.

In the middle of taking a bite of toast, I looked down at what I was wearing. A sky blue blouse I found at a sale rack and jeans. I swallowed my food down. "It's just a stupid shirt and jeans."

Sanosuke crossed his arms, frowning at me. "Yes, but you're wearing mascara and blush, and that color looks good on you and you know it. I know what you're doing. You're…" He struggled to articulate his next words "looking presentable for Battousai."

I nearly choked on my tea. "Are you saying I don't normally look presentable for anyone else?"

"No... Well, sometimes, but you rarely ever wear mascara, and you deliberately chose that color because it brings out the blue in your eyes and stuff. And you're wearing your best pair of jeans."

That Sanosuke knew what my favorite jeans were without ever having told him was straight up scary, and so was noting which colors made my eyes pop. I never took him as the kind of guy who noticed details where fashion was concerned. Sanosuke wasn't the trendiest of guys. He wore that one outfit, perpetually filthy except once every blue moon when he washed it. It was made out of special fairy's fabric so that when he Changed it wouldn't rip into shreds and leave him naked for when he Changed back. His bonds were made out of regular mundane fabric and would need to be replaced after every fight.

"Yes, I want to look presentable for Battousai. I'm treating this like an interview… or a reverse interview or something. Not for reasons you may be thinking." It was the truth. There were no hidden motives. My usual ensemble consisted of thrifted boy's and men's T-shirts I reconstructed to fit my size. It was rare to find cool T-shirts with comic book characters and bands that I liked in women's clothes, so I improvised. To wear a Ninja Turtles or Rolling Stones T-shirt with a giant tongue sticking out of flaming red lips when I'm meeting the deadliest warrior in all of Japan, and possibly the world, would be treating the matter too lightly, no matter how informal the occasion was.

Sanosuke's tawny eyes were fixed on mine. "What reasons do you think I'm thinking?"

"I dunno, that I want to look good and use my womanly wiles to charm the legendary vampire slayer," I said in a purposely light tone.

"You lack womanly wiles, Jou-chan. You're the worst flirt I've ever known."

"Yes, well so are you," I said, and took another sip of my delicious tea.

His mouth scrunched in both disapproval and acknowledgment of that statement.

"Anyway, I should get going. Don't want to be late for my appointment with the deadliest living warrior in all of earth."

"Jou-chan." Sanosuke stood up before I got off of my chair. "Will you at least let met come with you up to the outskirts?"

"Only if you promise you won't follow me any further and let me see Battousai alone."

"Deal," he said, not without some reluctance.

Because the sight of a maiden riding a beast through the streets of Tokyo would be rather alarming for its millions of mundane and blissfully ignorant residents, our mode of transportation was Misao's Prius. Always having relied on his own two or four feet get to places, Sanosuke did not know how to drive, and for the longest time, refused to travel via anything that was a vehicle. As it was, he was tense during the ride, though I suspected it had less to do with his phobia of vehicles then his palpable concern for me.

As we went on, the setting began to deteriorate into derelict buildings and shady people. They stared at the Prius as we drove by, making me wish not for the first time that Misao had chosen a less conspicuous and flashy car. I parked off at the edge of the street. The warehouse district was only a few miles away, and I did Battousai to pick up on Sanosuke were we to go further.

I killed the engine and handed the keys over to Sanosuke.

"So you're just going to leave me here alone in this thing, huh?"

"You're not at all concerned about the thugs out in the streets?" I said, teasingly.

Sanosuke's tone became serious. "Take care, Jou-chan. I will know if he does any harm to you."

"I know, and he won't."

A few guys out lurking outside a tobacco shop threw some cat calls at me, which I ignored and rolled my eyes at. I turned the corner and took off in my vampire speed, a blur to the human eye.

The building we had killed the Chou clan two nights ago was charred black and had all its windows missing. Battousai stood leaning against one of the walls, dressed in a black fitted short-sleeve and dark-wash jeans. His eyes blazed in the sunlight. Amazing, I thought, how a man who at first glanced almost resembled a woman could still look so good as a man. I was also alarmed at the obvious absence of his katana.

"You're early," he said. The day was airless, the sun shining brightly even in these side of the tracks. The scent of Battousai's sweat tingled my nose, as did that peculiar mix of human and vampire blood. I wondered if that's how I smelled like, like copper and spice. The shampoo he used had hints of lavender and tree oils, a clean, earthy smell that complimented his natural scent.

"So are you." I tried my best to keep myself collected, and to slow my pulse down into a steadier rhythm. I did just run, and I hope that he thought that was the only reason why my heart beat rapidly.

His lips twitched in what almost looked like a smirk. He looked me over with his violet eyes. I noticed that when they were violet, he was relaxed. "Not in your outfit today."

My cheeks flushed. That outfit was far sexier and tighter than anything I usually wore, but was necessary if I wanted to move efficiently and be at once protected. "There's no need."

He circled me, reminding me of a lion circling its prey. He stood in front of me, moving closer, rousing my skin to break out in bumps. "You're not armed, either."

Daring myself, my eyes raked him over. His clothes were too well-fitted to have any hidden tools, though it was still feasible. The pockets of his jeans could have been carrying very thin blades, but that didn't seem to be Battousai's style. The smallest and only other weapon I saw Battousai use besides his katana and short blade, were shuriken, and those were not meant to be hidden in pockets of really fashionable and expensive-looking jeans.

"Neither are you," I said, my eyes leveled at him.

A corner of his lip upturned. "There's no need."

"You weren't lying to me when you promised you wouldn't harm me."

"You never know… I'm a very good liar." He spoke coolly, with no threat in his voice, yet it was almost more menacing than if he had used a graver tone of voice.

"I don't doubt that."

This time he did smirk, and it made him look no-less handsome. "So, you wish for me to help you recover your brother from Shishio's clutches, is that correct?"

"Correct."

Battousai began pacing around me, his gaze on the ground and contemplative. "Tell me more about your brother. He is only your half-brother, from your father's side, am I right?"

I nodded. "I was seven when my father remarried a human woman."

He paused. "She was a sorceress."

My eyes widened. "Where did you get that information?"

"Sources. Now, why wouldn't you want to tell me that little detail?"

"I didn't want to give out too much information. My brother isn't a sorcerer, if that's what you're thinking. He's a telepath, but he had no powers beyond that."

Battousai resumed his pacing. "Some sorcerers are late-bloomers, as I'm sure Shishio is aware and hopes to bring out of him. I'm also positive he's using him to learn information from enemies and allies alike, and also to bait you."

Leave it to Battousai to figure things out on his own. "He wants to either use me for something, or kill me. Yahiko makes it unclear which one. I don't think he's sure himself."

"You're a Halfling." Battousai paused again, as if he was speaking impossible words, words that he in all probability had ever spoken to anyone. "That's something Shishio would be curious about. He'd test your ability. Perhaps conduct experiments on you, but not by his own hand of course. Shishio prefers others to dirty their hands for him."

My stomach lurched. Battousai went on as if he were speaking about what to prepare for dinner rather than possible ways to conduct my demise. "You'd be foolish to think you and your little team of rogues have a chance to win against Shishio's army."

"That's why we need your help. we can't do this without you."

"What use do I have of you?"

"Our strength, and our recourses. As I said, we still have some ties to some members of the Lux Occulta who don't fully agree with the ideals of the new leader."

"Shinimori Aoshi."

I nodded. Battousai was well-informed. It's a wonder how he hadn't learned of me sooner, though to be fair not many knew of me, or thought me to be simply a rumor.

"He doesn't want any preternatural being to be our allies, so that excludes me, naturally, along with Sanosuke and plenty of others who want to put a stop to Shishio."

"You think because you are also a Halfling, that I will be in a rush to help you?" His voice was cross, his expression smoldering.

I swallowed down the acrid taste in my mouth, steadying my trembling hands by balling them into fists. "It's more like, I was hoping you'd be glad that you were not the only one, like I was when I found out there was another like me."

For a moment, Battousai looked startled, and it just as soon changed into his cool expression. He turned away, his voice darkening. "You and I are nothing alike."

"Battousai-"

"Don't call me that. It's Kenshin, Himura Kenshin, and I will help you." His body was angled so that he spoke to me over his shoulder.

I stared at him in amazement. "Really? You'll help us? Thank you, thank you so much." I bowed to him, not the low humble bow I did the first time, but a respectful one nonetheless.

Battousai did not move. "On one condition. A few, actually."

"Yes?" Sanosuke's words about sucking my blood and bowing to him fully unclothed traversed my mind.

"I will be staying at your abode during the evenings until this whole deal with Shishio is resolved." he replied.

My mandible went slack. "Why-why would you want to do that?"

He placed himself in front of me, his height almost at the same level as mine, yet I still felt small next to him. "Because of your carelessness, more and more creatures of the preternatural realm are learning of your existence, and at this rate, you may not make it to the end of next week. That wolf of yours is strong, but he is not enough to protect you from some of the members of the Juppengatana, and neither are you. And," he added, "I cannot have you hanging around at my place. I already have a visitor. His identity is none of your concern."

"I've managed to make it this far," I said, defensively. That the Battousai had a mystery visitor was the least of my concerns. "Shishio hasn't been able to track me down since his men attacked my father's dojo. I don't think it's necessary that you-"

"If Shishio hasn't come after you again, it's on purpose," he cut me off. "Every move that man makes is deliberate, thought-out. However, there are others outside of Shishio's reach that may take interest in you, or that will act out of their own accord with or without Shishio's consent. It is not safe to continue living as you are."

His violet eyes were dark, and I wondered how it was that his eyes changed from such a cool, bottomless color to one that burned like suns. Fighting back another retort, I asked, "What are your other conditions?"

"Stay out of my business when I go out. What I do on my spare time is private. I also no longer want you going on any hunts unless it's under my supervision. Understood?"

I nodded, slowly. I hated being spoken to like a child, but I had to cast my pride aside and consented, for the sake of my baby brother. Besides, now that I had Battousai as an ally, hunts weren't necessary. The hunts were mainly to attain more information on Shishio's or Battousai's whereabouts.

"As for that werewolf, I suggest he find another place to stay for the time being. The two of us under the same roof will only create unnecessary tension." He said this with absoluteness.

I had to keep myself from screaming, though my response still came out almost as a yell. "You want me to kick Sanosuke out?"

Battousai went on, unfazed. "Temporarily. He's a werewolf. His nature is to be outdoors. I'm sure the only reason he isn't curled up inside a cave somewhere is to be near you. That no longer will be necessary with me around."

A headache had begun to accumulate between my temples, and was now throbbing full-force. I ran my fingers through my hair, wanting to yank it. "He's not going to like it."

"That's irrelevant," he replied, absent of any emotion. Only logic.

I sighed, a deep and heavy sigh. "I suppose I have no other choice," I said, somewhat begrudgingly.

Battousai didn't appear to care, very different from the startled person he showed me moments ago. He regarded me with one more look, and then turned away. "I will come by later tonight. I'll find you."

With that, he was gone.

Dust smoked out as Sanosuke's Futae No Kiwami demolished through the solid concrete of the living room wall.

"That goddamn bloodsucking leech. I can't believe he has the nerve to kick me out of my own apartment."

"Sano, please calm down," I said, directing my eyes at the gaping hole in the wall, and then back to Sanosuke, who was shaking with rage, his hand balled in a fist and unscathed despite just having punched through hard material. I had waited till we arrived home to tell him the bit where Kenshin said (demanded, rather) that he would be staying at our apartment. His temper might have caused a particularly ugly automobile accident.

His wolf-like eyes were sharp. "You expect me to stay cool after just hearing you say Battousai is planning on staying here alone with you? Are you kidding me? Are you really that stupid?"

I sucked in my breath. Sanosuke could be harsh, but he had never called me stupid before.

"Sanosuke, Yahiko needs us. There is no other way."

"How does _him_ staying alone with you be in any way beneficial?"

"I don't know Sanosuke, he claims that he wants to make sure I'm not killed by the end of next week, which he thinks may happen. He… He said he'd protect me."

His tawny eyes grew wide with bewilderment, and then narrowed. "If that's what you want, then I will be on my way," he said, moving passed me. The kanji for "wicked" on the back of his jacket glared at me.

"Sanosuke," I said, beseeching.

The response was the sound of the door slamming behind him.

"Sanosuke," I repeated, as a tear began sliding down my cheek.

Misao came by in the afternoon. When I told her what had happened, she grabbed hold of my shirt and shook me.

"How can you do that to Sanosuke? He really cares about you, numskull." Her breath ghosted across my face, warm and minty from her chewing gum. She was dressed in her regular civilian clothes, a blue vest and matching shorts.

I pried her hands off my shirt. It was one of my nicest shirts. "I know that. You think I don't feel terrible? I want to strangle Battousai for making me do this."

Misao's brows scrunched. She stomped her foot down in frustration. "He's not making you do anything… You're giving him the power to have authority over what you do."

"What else am I supposed to do? Those are Battousai's conditions and I can't refuse them. They are small in comparison to whatever else he might have asked, like… like sucking my blood, or something. I don't even know why he insists on staying. It's not like he could possibly care whether I live or die."

Misao paused, and then her mouth twisted into a mischievous grin. "Maybe he does."

"What?"

"Battousai grew thinking he was the only Halfling alive, which was true for a while until you were born several decades later. That must have been rough for him. Not being accepted by either humans or vampires. Maybe he cares because he thinks you'd understand where he's coming from."

An eyebrow of mine arched. "How come you're all of a sudden sympathetic towards Battousai, Misao-cha?"

"I can't help feeling a little sorry for the guy. He's not evil, just really scary and dangerous. Besides, you said so yourself, thinking you're the only Halfling alive made you feel alone. Maybe he doesn't want to be alone anymore."

To think that someone as fierce and deadly as Battousai would feel alone was nearly inconceivable. Yet, there had been no malice in his ki, only insurmountable power. While he only fed off the most deplorable of human beings, they were still human beings. I did not need blood to survive, or craved it except for the one time when our dojo was attacked. Battousai was right; we weren't alike, despite our unique mix of blood. Still… Misao was right. I had my father and Yahiko and even my stepmother to provide me with love and comfort, and even then, the dreary belief of being the only Halfling alive would visit my heart and encumber me with its loneliness.

"So what time is Battousai coming?" Misao's chipper mood recovered itself.

"He didn't specify. He said during the night. He said he'd find me."

"That doesn't sound good," she said, not sounding too concerned.

"He is Battousai. He hardly needs us."

"What are you talking about? Of course he needs us! Let's say he can kill all those vampires by himself, it's still a great deal of work, and a great deal of time spent. We'll all be able to progress faster by working together."

"You're right, again," I said, sighing, "I haven' been thinking straight these last couple of weeks."

"I get the feeling you'll be thinking less straight with Battousai around."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing," she said, an impish grin spreading on her countenance.

"Makimachi Misao, whatever is going in that weasel-head of yours, stop it."

Misao chuckled, raspy and bubbly. I smacked her on the shoulder, and laughed along with her.

She stretched herself out on the couch and laid her head on the arm rest. "I still don't trust him. He never said anything about me not sticking around, so I'll be staying until I see that he won't try anything funny."

Misao lived with her retired grandfather in a nicer part of the city. Her grandfather had once been a key figure of the Lux Occulta, but was now too old to sustain that position. He was strong, nonetheless, and was not someone to be underestimated.

"Very well. I doubt he'd like it… Actually I'm curious as to what Battousai does like besides slaughtering and drinking blood."

"Tight-fitted jeans that make his buttocks look delightful and excellent conditioner because his hair is just flawless."

Ignoring the image of Battousai's buttocks in fitted jeans, I frowned. "You give that man too much praise."

"I just appreciate really beautiful men. No one beats Aoshi-sama, though. He's a god!"

I rolled my eyes, threw myself on the sofa (my butt was hurting from sitting down on the floor so long), and grabbed the controller for Sanosuke's Xbox, which he had acquired at a gamble. The one time Sanosuke won anything at gambling. I turned on Netflix, and asked my friend a very important question.

"What shall we watch while we wait for the legendary Battousai?"

Misao grinned, her snaggle tooth more visible at the angle I was watching her from. "How about, Nosferatu?"

During the middle of our third feature-length film, The Iron Monkey, Misao fell asleep. Donnie Yen was currently kicking a bad guy's teeth, and Misao was snoring louder than their exclamations of pain. I got up and decided I wanted popcorn, and then remembered that Sanosuke and his voracious appetite had finished all the popcorn. I was so used to having him around everywhere I went minus when I was showering, using the toilet, or changing, that his absence was as tangible as his presence. Not a full day had gone by and I was already missing that rooster-headed werewolf. I looked inside the fridge, grabbed a jar of pickles, turned around and nearly dropped the jar of preserved cucumbers. Battousai was at the threshold that adjoined the kitchen with the entryway, his expression emotionless. He had come in without a noise, and I had not been able to detect his presence.

"You can't knock like a regular person?" I said, my voice not as harsh as it may have been on someone who wasn't as alarmed as I was.

"You don't have guards up. Why is that?" Battousai said, ignoring my question.

"The sorcerer we had paid to put them up was killed not long ago. We have yet to find another reliable one."

A chestnut colored eyebrow arched up. "Killed, why?"

"He refused to work for some of Shishio's men, or so we heard. A pity, he was a very good man."

Battousai said nothing further and shrugged off his jacket, which I noticed had a tear on it. That must have cause whoever had done it their life. He hung the item on the coat rack, a surprisingly domesticated gesture. I had expected him to just fling his jacket on the nearest piece of furniture. He also, I now noticed, had taken his shoes off and placed them neatly against the wall. His katana and short hilt were strapped on his belt, their hilts worn from decades and decades of use. I was wondered what his exact age was. He looked like a man in his early 20's, but I knew he was much older than that.

"It smells like wolf in here," he muttered, and stalked into the living room, me following behind him. On the couch, Misao murmured something incomprehensible about Aoshi-sama. Battousai regarded her with a somber look. "Why is this Gifted here? Does she also live with you?"

I shook my head. "Not exactly. She comes and goes, as she pleases."

"She knew I'd be coming."

I nodded. "Yes."

He looked at me not without a small amount of coldness. "She doesn't trust me alone with you."

I couldn't lie, he'd know. "Yes, she doesn't."

His gaze fell on the jar of pickles I was still holding, and then back at me. "Are you hungry?"

Abashed, I said, "There's not much else to eat."

He walked passed me and into the kitchen. He looked inside my fridge and frowned. He proceeded to look into my cabinet, while I stared at in bafflement, and frowned at what he saw in those as well.

"We'll have to go grocery shopping," said Battousai.

I blinked, not sure if I heard right. "What?"

"Is there a grocery store nearby?"

I blinked again. "Ah, yes, actually."

"Come," he said, retrieving his jacket, which I'm sure he only wore it to hide his weapons because it was the middle of June, "We're going out for groceries."

I did not keep the disbelief out of my face.

Battousai looked impatient. "Hurry, we don't have all night."

Recovering from the shock of the idea of Battousai doing a task as domesticated as buying groceries, I looked over at Misao. "We're going to leave Misao here, alone? Shouldn't we wake her?"

"She'll be fine. I'll put a temporary ward up," he replied, buckling his worn pair of boots, which still managed to look stylish regardless of their beaten state.

"You can do that? I thought only sorcerers could."

"There are other ways."

I grabbed my brown and battered, thrifted pair of boots. The material had creases on them from repetitive use, and the rubber of the soles was thinner on one side than the other thanks to my unnoticeably crooked way of walking. Unlike Battousai's, they were not at all stylish. Mary Poppins' reject boots is how Misao had described them.

"Are you going unarmed?" Battousai asked.

"It's only a few blocks away, and it's a mostly vampire-less part of the city."

Battousai looked vexed. "You've relied too much on that werewolf to protect you."

Suddenly, I felt very defensive, for me and for Sano. "His name is Sanosuke, and I know how to protect myself just fine, and he does a good job in doing it as well."

Battousai took two steps close to me, his eyes a daunting purple. "You can't go about unarmed assuming that there won't be any danger. With me, you don't need to be armed, but when you are alone, even in the daytime, you must always have a weapon with you. I cannot guard you 24/7. There are things I need to do that require nobody be present."

Like killing vampires and drinking the blood of human criminals, I thought.

"Things that do not involve slaying humans or vampires," he added, as if reading my mind.

Deeply mortified, I sought refuge from Battousai's scrutiny by scribbling a note to Misao that we were going out for groceries, wondering how she would react to that, and tacked it onto the fridge with a magnet. I grabbed my keys and exited the apartment, shutting the door softly behind me, Battousai already out on the other side.

"Move aside," he said as I was aiming the key at the lock. He took out a green stone, and began chanting something in a language I recognized as the language sorcerers spoke. He made a pattern in the air, a shape I could not name or recognize, with the stone over the door, and ended the chant shortly after.

Battousai must have seen the question in my eyes because he said, "I was friends with a sorcerer some time ago. He taught me a few things that I as a preternatural being could do without needing to have a sorcerer's power. Setting up wards is one of them, using this stone that he gave me, but they are not as strong or long-lasting as a sorcerer's are. For now, it will do. We won't be long. Don't worry about your friend. If the wards are brought down, I will know. She is probably safer here than she is at old Okina's house."

I shouldn't have been surprised that he knew Misao lived with Okina and that they were related, but I was. More alarming was that he had actually been speaking comforting words. He was being _nice. _

_He's not an evil guy; he's just really scary and dangerous._

It was with this scary and dangerous guy that I was going to the grocery store with, as if he were one of my roommates and not the most feared assassin in the underworld.

* * *

In the next chapter: Kenshin cooks, Sanosuke destroys half of Japan's forestry, and other action-y stuff that I have yet to formulate.


End file.
